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07/04/2006: "Muivah On Padmanabhiah’s Disclosure Nagarealm.com"

Muivah On Padmanabhiah’s Disclosure Nagarealm.com
DIMAPUR, JULY 2 [NPN] : In the backdrop of reported disclosure on the finer details of the ongoing talks between the Centre and the NSCN-IM by the Prime Minister's special interlocutor to the Naga talks, K. Padmanabhiah, which was published by the Tribune, New Delhi, the Naga International Support Center (NISC) interviewed NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, now in the Netherlands, on the statements of Padmanabhiah.
NISC : The Indian interlocutor Mr. Padmanabhiah said in that interview, a deal on a kind of federation whereby the NSCN will be part of the Union of India and so within the Constitution of India, will be clinched in the forthcoming talks in Bangkok. Is this correct?

Th. Muivah (visibly restrained) : That is not correct at all!

NISC : Mr. Padmanabhiah has a different reading of what you talk about during the peace talks?

Th. Muivah : It cannot be! Because the talks were between two big delegations, ministers, interlocutor, secretary's etcetera. The only point we talked about in last talks, was the framework of the relationship put forward by the facilitators. We agreed to discuss that in the next round of talks. We did not talk on any other issues! If Mr. Padmanabhiah is talking besides this point his statements are baseless.

NISC : We understand Mr. Padmanabhiah is commissioned to talk on behalf of the Prime Minister. How do you read this then?

Th. Muivah : Yes the talk is at the highest level and he and his colleagues represent the Prime Minister.

NISC : Are we to understand Mr. Padmanabhiah reflects the opinion and reading of the talks on the Prime minister level, where it looks like it is his own interpretation?

Th. Muivah : This is for you to make out. I can only say what has been talked about during the last talks.

NISC : To us it looks like, for this is not the first time Mr. Padmanabhiah has come up with his interpretations in public, he puts stumbling blocks in the talks. This again like last time has to be thoroughly talked about before the talks on substantive issues, can continue. This requires clarification and so the talks are dealing with personalities not with substance. Don't you agree?

Th. Muivah : Yes I agree that is what he should do from his side, to clarify.

NISC : If we take the reading and understanding of Mr. Padmanabhiah seriously then we cannot but conclude that you are worlds apart from each other.

Th. Muivah : From our side we are serious and sincere and we will not distance ourselves from taking on the issues and we always mean what we say.
Muivah denies having discussed federal relationship within Indian Union Kuknalim.com
KOHIMA, July 2: The NSCN (IM) has today rubbished the statements of K Padmanabhaiah, the Emissary of the Indian Prime Minister to the peace talks that the former was working to have a "federal relationship" within the Union of India.

Talking to an Amsterdam based Naga International Support Center (NISC), NSCN (IM) General Secretary Th Muivah said they had not discussed anything with regard to the federal relationship within the Union of India.

"The only point we talked about in the last talks was the framework of the relationship put forward by the facilitators," the NSCN (IM) leader said. "We agreed to discuss that in the next round of talks. We did not talk on any other issues. If Mr Padmanabhaiah is talking besides this point, his statements are baseless."

Stating that Padmanabhaiah should clarify on such misinterpretation of talks, Muivah made it clear that from NSCN (IM) side; they were "serious and sincere." "We will not distance ourselves from taking on the issues and we always mean what we say," the NSCN (IM) leader said. (Asian Tribune)
Konyaks warn factions against victimizing civilians The Morung Express Dimapur, July 3 (MExN): Frontline Konyak civil organizations seriously viewed the factional clashes in areas of Tizit, Naginimora, Wakching and Mon and to this effect – while appealing to both the factions to exercise restraint –warned that if any civilian is victimized, the public would be compelled to “resold against whomsoever faction” is involved in the atrocious activities. The resolution was taken at the 26th General Session of the Konyak Union held June 27.
“The session also severely viewed the factional fighting particularly in palaces like Tizit, Naginimora, Wakching, Mon etc and unanimously resolved to appeal to both the factions to exercise restrain in public interest and further warned that if any civilian is victimized, public would be compelled to resold against whomsoever faction (involving) in (atrocious) activities” according to Tingnei, president and Naowang, General Secretary, Konyak Union.
The session was attended by all frontline Konyak civil organizations.
like the Konyak Students Union (KSU), KNSK as well as town councils, government officials, public leaders, unit presidents and three representatives from all the villages numbering nearly 3000. The session also reaffirmed to stand and work for the unification of the Nagas in order to facilitate an acceptable settlement to the Naga political issue. Besides, other resolutions taken during the meet include ban on hunting especially during the breeding season. Use of chemical in rivers and streams during fishing activities within Konyak areas were banned. Village Councils were directed to strictly enforce the ban order, it was informed.
1 killed; 2 Nagas injured in Halflong blast The Morung Express
DIMAPUR, JULY 3 (MExN): One person was killed and several others injured including two Naga women in a bomb blast at Halflong town, N.C Hills today. The two women have been identified as Herakalungle and Adiale. Along with the other injured, both were rushed to Halflong Civil Hospital. Just recently, the Zeliangrong Nagas of Assam and Zeme Council had organized a public rally in protest against the killing of three Zeme Naga youths by DHD cadres belonging to the ceasefire group.
“The Nagas of Halflong are feeling insecure more than before now due to today’s bomb blast”, H. Marshall Newme General Secretary of Zeme Cuncil, Assam stated in a press communiqué.
The Zeliangnrong Nagas of Halflong, Assam pointed out that they should also be a part of the Indo-Naga peace talks to highlight the problem of Nagas in Assam as well as to make known to the world that the Zeliangrong Nagas in Assam are very much interested in Naga integration and unification.
“We feel that without the representatives of Assam in the Indo-Naga talks the problem of Nagas in Assam cannot be properly highlighted”, the Zeme Council General Secretary stated. The Zeme Council representative also wanted both the Nagaland government and the Naga Hoho to help improve the road communication from other Naga areas to the rest of the NC Hills.
Frontline civil society groups like Naga Hoho, NSF, NPMHR and NMA have also been urged to do more by way of monitoring the situation in the NC Hills and to step into a more active role to address problems being faced by the Nagas in the region.
The land of Nagas in Manipur state Letters to the editor The Morung Express

• Sir- I came across that the Naga writers in their write-ups when they write on the extension of Nagaland to Manipur state claim that only four districts, viz Riangluang (Tamenglong), Tahamzam (Senapati), Chandel and Ukhrul. They never mention that our land is extended upto Duigai (Mizo Duigal) in Churachandpur district. Through this letter, I would like to inform all the Nagas that there are 13 Ruangmai Naga Villages under Honglop Sub-division under Churachandpur district. They are: 1. Raenghzaeng (Ngariyan); 2. Chalungkhou (Chaiba); 3. Ramdan (Landan); 4. Thianzaeng; 5. Zuluan (Majuran); 6. Daluan (Kokadan); 7. Tingpui (Laimanai); 8. Raenghtiang (Sadukirei);9. Muktian (Tokpa); 10. Gigal; 11. Gaisiamluang; 12. New Kanan and 13. Gairingzaeng.
The names given within brackets are meaningless names given by the Meiteis and these names were officially recorded and the Nagas are forced to use.
Among the 13 villages given above, the first village Raenghzaeng is located in between two districts. The Old Cachar Road is in the centre of the village. The Northern part of the village is under Tahamzan (Senapati) district and the Southern part comes under Churachandpur district, which for the convenience of administration, the villages put the border under the said district. The village border in the west is Riangluang (Tamenglong) district.
It is a compact area of the Nagas’ land. The people of this area have been demanding for the merger with Riangluang district since many years back. The Naga National workers know well about it. In their map of Nagaland or Nagalim, they claimed upto Duigai River.
May I appeal the Naga writers to note it and include the above villages in their future write-ups.
GG Kammei, Kohima

Centre almost certain: ULFA By A Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, July 3 – The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) today said direct talks between the outfit and the Indian Government has become almost a certainty after the third round of talks between the Centre and the ULFA-constituted People’s Consultative Group (PCG) recently. The ULFA, in the latest issue of its fortnightly mouthpiece Swadhinata (Freedom), released on the Internet today, said the solution to even the most intricate problem is possible provided the intentions remain pure.
“If everything remains all right and if there is no lack of sincerity, direct talks between the ULFA and the ‘colonial’ Indian Government for the solution of the Asom-Indian political conflict has become a certainty,” the ULFA said in the editorial section of its mouthpiece.
Expressing concern over some media reports, that raised issues that have never been raised so far or those that cite past experiences of freed ULFA leaders returning to insurgency, the ULFA said raking up the bitter experiences of the past will only impede the present peace process that is proceeding in the right direction.
Stating that political contradiction has been converted to conflict, the ULFA considerably mellowed down its anti-India rhetoric by stating that the people struggling for Asom’s independence want to remain ‘friendly neighbours’ with India. It said this is the primary reason for which the outfit is seeking a political resolution of the conflict by abjuring violence. It claimed that the ULFA has been unfairly termed as a problem in itself for the state.

The outfit said it is a matter of good fortune that the Prime Minister has termed the issues raised by the ULFA as political issues that need to be resolved politically. It said that that the assurance of direct talks given by the Centre is not only to the PCG or the ULFA, but also to the people of the state. Our Dibrugarh Correspondent adds: The health condition of the arrested self styled Commander-in-Chief of the 28 Battalion of ULFA Mrinal Hazarika is reported to be stable. Hazarika who is under interrogation was admitted to the Assam Medical College and Hospital following his deteriorating health condition yesterday. The ULFA leader suffering from heart complication is being kept under constant monitoring at the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU).

Institutionalize Accountability Source: The Imphal Free Press Posted: 2006-07-04
At the root of the notorious lethargic work culture that has come to be associated with employees in the government sector in Manipur, is the lack of accountability. If there was a system by which non-performers must have to make the exit as a matter of rule, this work culture today would have been a lot different. The answer that naturally follows from this derivation is that to improve the government sector work culture, a way must be found to introduce accountability at every level. Non performers, starting from the state’s top executive, namely the chief minister, to the blue-collared workers it employs, must understand that they would have to be shown the door if they fail to deliver what has been assigned as their responsibility.

This especially so if the failure is on account of unreasonable excuses, established corrupt practices or else patent incompetence. It should not come as a surprise to anybody that there has been no exception till date in Manipur, and even the face of repeated inexplicable failures, no responsibility has been fixed on anybody in particular. No official or minister of worth have also had the humility or public courtesy to own up responsibility, not even to pledge that they would take it upon themselves to prevent the same blunders from repeating. Quite predictably, the blunders keep repeating, and same ministers and officials remain stone-faced and shameless as ever. The near complete collapse of government school education system is the most prominent example, but the list would be endless.

What Manipur needs today is a brave new leadership, courageous enough to acknowledge failures and sensitive enough to repent. Only when this happens would there be motivation in every hierarchy of the government order to strive to improve. But for such a dream to come true, it is not only a voluntary self reform within our leadership class that has to be awaited. It must equally be a public pressure to have the best delivered to them, engendered by an awareness of what is ultimately in their long term interest, which can induce a shift in outlook to public responsibility by those who hold public offices. This public awareness can come about only if the bar of social debates are raised, and in this mission, the intelligentsia and academia must bear the major burden.

The disturbing question is also, are those who can broadly come under these classifications of enlightened citizenry, up to the task? The nagging doubt is, a greater section of them too have not been able to rise above the same lethargy and insensitivity that other sections of the work force are accused of. That many of them suffer from the same insecurities and compulsions that have made even able men and women in the government, with the exception of a few, to allow themselves to be lulled into a state of official ennui. Under the circumstance, the story of the unwillingness to change is no longer a question of general morality and ethics but of class interests. Directly or indirectly, to promote common class interests, even if they are retrogressive, rulers and opponents within the same ruling clique end up protecting each other’s flanks when it comes to the crux.The manner in which the Office of Profit issue was flattened with a new legislation passed by the Assembly recently is just one example amongst many.

Still, we would expect some systemic adjustments from the current leadership. They must possess some of what is generally referred to as “enlightened self interest”. This will entail a bit of personal sacrifices in the present for sake of ensuring a better future, after all the future is common for all of us, and needless to say, inescapable. In this context, it will be laudable if a norm or tradition is introduced by which purging of the leadership is mandatory in the event of the failure or non performance of government departments in any particular mission. Only such an initiative can break the inertia and lack of motivation in the government work culture. We must remember, motivation is not necessarily only about perks and rewards, but also of punitive measures. We are not for a complete handover of public businesses and affairs to the private sector, for an un-reined private sector is capable of tremendous injustice and exploitation too, but in the post Cold War era, it is a demonstrated fact that an infusion of the ethos of the private enterprises into the public sectors can do wonders to the latter’s productivity. Will our leaders show the courage to learn from the lesson the rest of the successful world has learnt?
ULFA: Despite hiccups, solution possible if there’s goodwill
‘Release, disclose and then talk’ By a Staff Reporter Sentinel
GUWAHATI, July 3: Perhaps one point that cannot be ignored in the July edition of the ULFA’s mouthpiece Freedom is that the banned outfit is not willing to leave anything to trust, clearly indicating that unless the jailed ‘leaders’ are released and whereabouts of the “missing” cadres disclosed, direct talks are not possible.
Obstinate as it has been, the ULFA said, in the Freedom’s editorial which was e-mailed to the press today, that mere assurances would not suffice. “Now that the third — or so to say the last — round of Centre-PCG talks have concluded, it is expected of the Government of India to resolve the twin issues, which are vital to clear the decks, at the earliest,” the statement said.
“If all goes on well, and there is no lack of goodwill on the part of the Government of India, the direct talks are certain,” it said.
Slamming a section of the media for “spreading doubts and fears” regarding the ongoing peace process, the outfit said that such “negative” reports would only create hurdles in the talks. “If a political solution is desired, any stumbling block — be it the release of detainees or anything else — can be overcome,” the ULFA categorically said.
Terming the decades-long insurgency problem as a “political contradiction-turned-conflict”, it rubbished campaigns which have been “mobilizing opinion against the outfit”.
1 killed, 18 hurt in Haflong blast Our Bureau Sentinel
DIPHU/ GUWAHATI, July 3: A trader, Jaganath Gupta, was killed and 18 others injured, four of them seriously, in an IED blast triggered by militants at Haflong Bazar around about 2 p.m. today. The seriously injured have been admitted to Haflong Civil Hospital.
Eyewitnesses said that a tribal woman had left the device in a bag at a vendor’s outlet near a mosque in the heart of the market.
This was the first incident of bomb blast in the township.
Even as police suspected the involvement of either the NSCN(IM) or HPC or the Black Widow in the blast, sources said that one Bihari Dimasa, who identified himself as a Black Widow cadre, called up a section of media and claimed responsibility of the blast.
According to sources, the suspected Black Widow cadre claimed that the target was a businessman who had “refused to cooperate with the outfit”.
Interestingly, while police has confirmed that the explosion was that of an IED, the cadre said it was a “grenade attack”.
‘Trading through Nathula might take time to pick up’ Sentinel
GANGTOK, July 3 (PTI): Border trade between India and China through Nathula scheduled to resume on July 6, may take some time to pick up, traders in Sikkim feel.
“Although we are happy Nathula is re-opening and we are in fact eagerly looking forward to it, it may take some time for trade to really pick up between the two countries through the pass,” Sikkim Chamber of Commerce president S K Sarda told PTI. The reason is the amount of time that has passed since the closure of the route in 1962 and the changes it has brought about on either side of the border, Sarda said.
Sarda will be among the 100 traders from Sikkim to cross over into China through Nathula on July 6 to have a first hand assessment of the trade facilities on the other side of the border, said. “So much has changed.
Many traders who did business through the route before 1962 are not active any more and their younger generations have taken over. Similar changes must have taken place on the other side of the border too. New traders must have arrived.
The taste and the needs of customers must also have changed over the years,” Sarda whose family ran a business in the Yatung area of TAR, before the closure of the route, said.
Trading will gather momentum through the pass only after traders on either side of it come to terms with these changes and increase their utility for their respective customers accordingly, Sarda said.
Pointing out that the process of acclimatizing traders to the changed needs of their respective markets might take a period of three to four months, Sarda said once this process was over trading will really pick between the two Asian giants.
“We are bound to learn and grow with time as Nathula re-opens to trade between the two countries,” he added. About the volume of trade, Sarda who belongs to one of the oldest business families of Sikkim, said initially it might not be much as only 29 items would be allowed to be traded in the restricted areas neighbouring the border.
“But as we learn about the new rates, the market potential of different export items and as more and more of them are added on to the list of exportable items the volume of trade is bound to grow substantially by next year,” Sarda said.